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Durant carries OKC in win

OKLAHOMA CITY — Kevin Durant had 26 points, nine rebounds and seven assists and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 106-97 on Wednesday.

Reggie Jackson added 20 points and nine helpers, Serge Ibaka tallied 14 points and seven boards and Kendrick Perkins snatched 12 rebounds for the Thunder, who have won 12 of their last 13 games.

“I thought we played good defense for only about four minutes in the first quarter and then in the fourth quarter. Other than that we didn’t play the kind of defense we usually do,” Thunder head coach Scott Brooks said.

OKC has beaten the Wolves nine straight times at home.

Ricky Rubio recorded 19 points, eight boards and five assists for Minnesota, which was without its All-Star forward Kevin Love due to a stiff neck.

“I’m really proud of our guys, they busted their tail the whole game, just three points down in the fourth quarter and then we turned it over too many times, gave them easy baskets and gave them too many offensive rebounds,” Wolves head coach Rick Adelman said.

The game was tied at 77-77 in the waning seconds of the third before Durant took the clock down, broke down the defense and found Derek Fisher in the left corner. Fisher buried the triple at the horn to give OKC an 80-77 edge after three.

The Thunder rode the momentum from the Fisher 3 into the fourth by scoring 11 of the frames first 15 points.

Jeremy Lamb began the burst with a trey and finished it with a steal and layup to extend the Oklahoma City margin to 93-81 with 7:17 left.

Minnesota never got within less than six the rest of the way.

OKC held a 26-25 edge after a quarter of play and Durant’s triple at the halftime buzzer gave the hosts a 56-54 spread heading into the break.

Notes: The Thunder held a 49-39 rebounding advantage and a 44-36 points in the paint margin … OKC shot 48.4 percent (44-of-91) from the floor, while Minnesota made 47.4 percent from the field (37-for-78) … Fisher had 13 points for the Thunder.

Dallas 110, Memphis 96

MEMPHIS — Dirk Nowitzki scored a game-high 26 points, as the Dallas Mavericks used a strong second half to surge past the Memphis Grizzlies, 110-96, on Wednesday at FedExForum. Brandan Wright tallied 17 points off the bench, while Samuel Dalembert and Monta Ellis each supplied 14 points for the Mavericks, who have won three straight games. Both teams shot over 50 percent from the floor, but the difference came in the paint, where Dallas outscored Memphis by a 56-32 margin. Zach Randolph paced the Grizzlies with 25 points and nine rebounds, while Courtney Lee contributed 22 points for Memphis, which has lost two straight on the heels of a six-game win streak.

Houston 122, Phoenix 108

HOUSTON — Dwight Howard had a monster 34-point, 14- rebound double-double to lead the Houston Rockets to a 122-108 win over the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday. James Harden supplied 23 points, while Chandler Parsons and Terrence Jones tallied 19 points apiece for Houston, which has won four straight. Goran Dragic had 23 points with eight assists to lead Phoenix.

LOS ANGELES — A first-quarter barrage helped the Miami Heat build a seemingly comfortable first half lead, which they were clinging to by game’s end. Good thing Ray Allen was there to bail them out. Allen scored 11 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter, including a critical 3-pointer with 42.4 seconds left.

Lakers 119, Cleveland 108

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Ryan Kelly amassed a career-high 26 points, Steve Blake recorded a triple-double and the Los Angeles Lakers put an end to a seven-game losing streak. Blake racked up 11 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds in his second game back from an elbow injury.

N. Orleans 105, Atlanta 100

NEW ORLEANS — Anthony Davis had 27 points and 10 rebounds to lead the New Orleans Pelicans, on Wednesday. Brian Roberts scored 19 points and Eric Gordon finished with 18 for the Pelicans.

Portland 94, New York 90

NEW YORK — Nicolas Batum recorded 20 points and 10 rebounds as the Portland Trail Blazers came through.

Sacramento 109, Toronto 101

SACRAMENTO — DeMarcus Cousins scored 25 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to lead the Sacramento Kings to a 109-101 win over the Toronto Raptors at Sleep Train Arena.

Rudy Gay added 24 points, 10 rebounds and four steals and Isaiah Thomas finished with 23 points and five assists for the Kings, who have won two straight after dropping seven in a row. Kyle Lowry had 21 points, seven rebounds and eight assists, DeMar DeRozan poured in 18 points and Jonas Valanciunas added 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Raptors, losers in two of their last three games.

Orlando 112, Detroit 98

ORLANDO, Fla. — Victor Oladipo paced a balanced Orlando scoring attack with 20 points, as the Magic downed the Detroit Pistons, 112- 98, on Wednesday at Amway Center. Glen Davis donated 18 points, Arron Afflalo and Maurice Harkless each added 15 points, and Nikola Vucevic netted 14 points for the Magic, who had lost five of their last six coming into the game. Josh Smith led all scorers with 25 points to go with 12 rebounds, Andre Drummond registered 15 points and 14 boards and Brandon Jennings supplied 15 points and 10 assists for the Pistons, who have lost two straight games.

Boston 114, Philadelphia 108

PHILADELPHIA — Jeff Green netted 36 points to lead the Boston Celtics to a 114-108 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday at Wells Fargo Center. Green hit 5-of-7 from distance and Jared Sullinger tallied 19 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and four blocks to help the Celtics to their first two-game winning streak since mid-December. Rajon Rondo flirted with a triple-double in the triumph, finishing with eight points, 11 assists and nine rebounds, while Brandon Bass poured in 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Thaddeus Young led seven Sixers in double figures with 20 points, while Tony Wroten scored 18 off the bench. Spencer Hawes and Lavoy Allen each notched double-doubles, with Hawes donating 13 points and 14 rebounds and Allen contributing 10 and 10.

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